29 January 2021

#CoronaChronicles 2021: Week Four

Well, what a year this month has been already!

We know the news of the lockdown in England being extended until at least the beginning of March will come as a blow to many and we send our best wishes to you all.

So many of you have been there for us and our rescued residents since the pandemic hit - whether by donating to one of our appeals, sponsoring one of our Adoption Stars or shopping in our online gift store - and we’re using every precious penny we can to ensure our work to improve the welfare of equines, inside and beyond the Sanctuary, is continuing at this difficult time.

Without you, we simply couldn’t do what we do.

And this month has highlighted once again why your help is so important. You may remember Thoroughbred horse Zac, mentioned in an earlier #CoronaChronicles, who came to the Sanctuary in an emaciated state just three weeks ago. Well, it turns out he is not the only horse to have kept our welfare team busy since Christmas.

In just the first week of January, we had received more welfare enquiries than we had in the whole of December. So far this month we have also answered 10 calls from concerned members of the public about 21 horses who were thought to have been abandoned. By this point last year, we had yet to receive a call about an abandoned horse.

Winter is usually a busy time for enquiries to our welfare line, but this is, of course, a worrying trend and may well point towards the very challenging circumstances so many people are finding themselves in right now as a result of the coronavirus.

In December, we joined other leading animal welfare charities across the UK to publish a report, called Britain’s Horse Problem, which outlined the current pressures experienced by charities and the likely devastating impact the pandemic will have on equine welfare.

Please click here to read the full report. (PDF 2.1 MB)

You can ensure we’re ready to face the tough challenges ahead by donating to our New Year appeal by calling 01508 481000 or clicking here.

If you’re a horse owner, another great way to support us is by rehoming one of our rescued horses and ponies! By rehoming from a registered charity, like Redwings, you’re providing space for us to be able to bring more horses and donkeys into the safety of the Sanctuary.

With an ever-increasing demand on our services, our rehoming teams have continued to work hard and adapt their practices throughout the pandemic to help as many of our rescued horses as possible find loving new homes.

This week we’ve been sent these photos of six-year-old Kenneth who has started his handling training at our Redwings Caldecott visitor centre in Norfolk, where we opened a new rehoming centre in 2019.

It’s early days in his training, but we’re hoping to be able to rehome Kenneth as an unbacked project pony. Here he is enjoying a good explore of one of our horse trailers!

Kenneth exploring one of Redwings horse trailers

We’re not ready to receive applications for Kenneth just yet, but anyone interested in offering a home to one of our rescued residents can click here to see a full list of the ponies currently looking for Guardian families.

We hope Kenneth’s adorable face helped to put a smile on yours! So many of our teams have appreciated the company and comfort offered by our rescued residents over the last year and we love to share this with you too, especially while our visitor centres remain closed.

Every day we post photos from across the Sanctuary on our social media channels (look out for the hashtag #HoovesOfHappiness) to bring a little cheer while we’re all #StuckInTheStable! Why not give us a follow and share our posts to spread some extra joy?!

In the meantime, we shall leave you this week with this stunning snowy image taken at our Redwings SWHP centre, on the Welsh border in Monmouthshire. What a view!

Have a lovely weekend #RedwingsAngels!

stunning snowy image taken at our Redwings SWHP centre, on the Welsh border in Monmouthshire.